Precise Ambition
by Romney Lyre
Summary: There were only three objects of beauty in this dismal place: his book, his wand, and his friend. But only two ever stayed with him. [PastSev]
1. Prologue

_**Precise Ambition **_

_**By: Romney Lyre**_

**DISCLAIMER: **I, Romney C. Lyre, do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any type of profit from this fanfiction and this is only for entertainment purposes only.

Prologue

A loud "CRACK" was heard by many passing people, but none paid much attention to it. The drone of smoking cars and people shouting just absorbed the sound and was soon forgotten. It was a bustling, hot, and sunny summer day and many were desperate to escape the heat. Even though nobody thought anything of the loud crack sound, not one of them would have suspected that it was a woman who made that sound and that the very same woman was a witch.

A young woman with a mixed expression of fatigue and fear glanced at her trash filled surroundings. Her pale, long face had a frown etched onto it and her heavy brows were furrowed as she thought up a plan. She was still in her witch robes, which would make her stand out, but she had Apparated to a more industrial city with a larger population in order to hide herself better in the vast crowds. Quickly, she stepped out of the alleyway and moved into the crowd of Muggles. A few of them who were near her threw her disgusted glares, thinking that she was some kind of rebel youngster. She passed by them by pushing her way through the crowd; she had no time for Muggles who didn't approve of her attire. Her tired black eyes darted around and found their target, a clothes shop. With the same force she had used before, she pushed her way through the crowd, earning her more disgusted glares, but a few pitying looks as well.

She opened the door slowly, but was surprised by the bell that sounded. The witch thought it was a trap, but a young girl, no more than sixteen, hustled towards her with a smile.

"Hello, welcome, is there anything you need help with?" The young girl said in a rehearsed voice. She seemed overexcited to help the strange woman, the witch assumed it was her first job and she wanted to impress her superiors by hurrying towards customers.

The witch said slowly, "I'm looking for a change of clothes."

The young girl held up her smile, but the witch saw the girl's eyes observe her outfit with distaste. She grabbed the witch's arm and lead her to a rack filled with floral shirts and said, "I think that a more colorful shirt will contrast very well with your smooth, light skin!" The door to the shop opened again and a new customer walked in. The girl glanced from the witch to the new customer and said, "Well, there are some lovely skirts in the rack over there-" She pointed to the right side of the store. "-And if you need any help, feel free to ask me!" The young girl then left the witch and hustled toward the new customer.

The witch scuffled through the shirts, but she wasn't focus on what would look good with her skin, she needed something to help disguise her. She left the bright floral shirts and moved to a rack with more traditional and conservative clothes. She picked out three long sleeved shirts that were each black and moved onto the skirts where she chose three long skirts that were more suited for winter. As she went up to the cashier, the people in the shop looked at her questioningly. The woman had on robes and she was buying clothes for winter when it was so hot outside. Even the cashier looked at her with an odd look on her face that turned to surprise when the witch threw down the money and left, without asking for her change. The woman rushed into the public bathroom and changed into one of her outfits quickly since she loathed the smell. She walked out and made sure she still had her clothes that she had bought and a few other belongings she brought. She stopped and thought about whether or not to get rid of her robes, but she decided to keep them.

It was still afternoon. The witch decided to find some kind of place to stay for the time being, possibly leave the country as well. Her eyes never kept still, always darting around, as if they were trying to pin down something. She kept walking and was still walking even when she left the city and was in a quieter area. The houses were growing more and more abundant and each was brick houses. She decided to go down one of the streets that were a good distance away from the smoke-ridden city. She continued down the street and the quality of the houses slowly dwindled. She reached the end of the street where there was a lone house near a poor river that looked sick from all the pollution.

Her need for sleep took over her common sense and she entered the run down home, quickly opening the lock with a whispered spell. The interior was just as bad as the outside, it was dusty and everything was scattered around the small place. The witch didn't mind though because she found a soft couch and quickly sat upon it and rested her eyes.

Night had fallen upon the smoke covered community. The woman was sleeping until she was thrown on the cold, hard wooden floor.

"Who the hell are you?" yelled a deep male voice. The witch's eyes grew large and she quickly drew her wand out and stumbled upon her feet, keeping her eyes on the man. The man was taller than she was, but equally pale. His black hair was plastered to his face and his large hooked nose with sweat; he looked as though he had been doing hard manual work. His dark brown eyes were filled with an anger of finding a stranger taking his home, but also curiosity. He wanted to know why this woman had broken into his house; he proceeded to shout at her again, asking.

The woman still stood with her wand pointing at him and said lowly, "I just wanted a place to rest for a moment. If you move out of the way, I'll leave you in peace."

The man laughed scornfully. "You think that the little twig you're holding will stop me? You must be out of your mind."

Her eyes narrowed. She didn't know what to do, it was against the law to perform magic in front of a muggle, but then she remembered another wand she had taken rightfully from a duel. She threw down her wand and grabbed the other wand from her bag on the couch.

"Another twig?" The man said with a smile that ridiculed her, but he still kept his eyes on the woman.

The woman allowed herself a small, triumphant grin. "I'll say it again, just let me go and I'll leave you in peace."

The man's smile evaporated and he angrily said, "You think you have the power to tell _me_ what to do? You are out of your mind, woman, if you think it's your place to tell a man what to do!"

Instead of telling him, the witch decided to give the muggle a demonstration. The ministry would send an owl to the wand's owner instead of her, so she was safe. With a flick of her wrist, she casted a nonverbal spell that turned the table in the corner into a butterfly that fluttered away. She turned from the butterfly to the man; his face was covered in surprise and wonder.

"H-how did you do that?" asked the man in a hushed whisper.

The witch quickly became more confident, the situation finally turned to her favor. "It's magic. So, move out of my way or I'll perform it on you next." Her voice began to rise with growing confidence.

The man stared at the woman without moving out of the way.

"Didn't you hear me, move or I'll hex you!" she shouted. Why wasn't the man moving? The witch was beginning to get scared, maybe the man was just putting on an act to be surprised and it was one of her relatives controlling the man with the Imperius Curse.

To the woman's surprised, the man lunged at her and pinned her down. He knocked the wand out of her hand and now her eyes were filled with complete fear. He had disarmed her and she was defenseless.

"Magic or not, you are just a woman. A weak one at that." he said. He had both of her skinny wrists in one of his large, callous hands and had both of her legs pinned down by his own. His free hand reached for the bag and pulled out her own wand. She was struggling very hard against him, but he was heavier than her skinny body. She kept yelling horrible things at him until he punched her face with the fist gripping her wand.

"Shut up, woman!" he yelled at her. Now she had stopped her struggling, her eyes began to water out of hopelessness. "Now," he said with a low voice, "your magic could come in handy. It'd be nice to have things just do it themselves." He waved her wand in her tear stricken face. "Now, stay with me and I won't snap your little magic twig in two."

The witch's eyes filled with hatred and anger towards the man. This muggle had the nerve to threaten her, a pure blood witch! He continued to wave her precious wand in front of her face, sneering as he did so. She didn't want him to snap her wand, if she wanted that she would've performed the magic with her own wand. Her wand was her only way of protection and without it she was no better than a pathetic muggle. With fear and hatred in her voice, she muttered a resentful "Fine".

The man's face broke out into a triumphant grin, as if he had one the biggest bet.

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**A/N:** In my mind, I took a more pessimistic view on Snape's childhood and how his parents got together.

Agree with me or not, reviews are welcomed from you lot!


	2. As the River Says

_**Precise Ambition **_

_**By: Romney Lyre**_

**DISCLAIMER: **I, Romney C. Lyre, do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any type of profit from this fanfiction and this is only for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter One: _As the River Says_

A young boy, no more than ten years of age, was stalking around the polluted lake. The sun was trying to peak through the clouds and smoke, but failing to shine light on the tainted town. It was a late June morning and no one was active yet. The boy, Severus, seized his chance at isolation and left his house to walk around.

He sat down and stared at his reflection in the putrid river. He had inherited his mother's long face and sullen eyes, while his father provided his large, hooked nose and black, greasy hair. Severus, though, didn't care for outer appearances. The only thing he thought was any worth was his magic.

It was at the age of five that Severus's magical talent was discovered. His mother, Eileen, and father, Tobias, were arguing for the first time in front of Severus. He knew that they fought; he could always hear it through the weak walls of their poor house. During dinner, his father was asked his mother about when Severus would be able to perform magic like she could. She protested that it normally children do not show signs of magic until they're around seven years of age. His father flared and yelled that his son needed to learn magic as soon as possible. He threw down his plate and picked up Severus by the collar and shouted at him to fix the plate immediately. When Severus began to cry, he threw him painfully down and shouted at Eileen for giving him such a worthless son.

As Severus watched his father storm out of the kitchen, he stared at the shattered plate with tear stained eyes and he chanted in his mind, "Please just be fixed. Get fixed so father will leave me alone." His mother, who remained in the kitchen with her son, let out a gasp as the plate levitated and mended itself until there were no cracks. Severus felt a cold lump in his throat. He felt like crying again, but he was feeling disheartened yet ecstatic. He knew what that meant, that meant he was a wizard and had a magic like his mother. Yet, that meant his father would take advantage of his magic and just use him like he used his mother.

Severus threw a rock into the river in anger. He was tired of his father. His father was the reason why his mother was stuck in this dreadful hovel. Once his mother grudgingly informed his father about his magic, Severus had never seen him look so greedy and elated. Immediately, his father demanded that Eileen teach him all she knew about magic. She frowned and said that Severus would be able to go to a school for magic once he was eleven, but Tobias slapped and shouted that his son needed to learn now. He bent over his wife and explained that there was no harm in teaching him early and since she had no argument, Eileen agreed.

Even though he detested his father, Severus was glad that he was able to learn magic at an early age. His mother taught him the differences between muggles, like his father, and magic people, like himself and his mother. She talked reminiscently about the wizarding world. Severus learned that there was a ministry and a bank and schools and shops just for wizards. The most fascinating and horrible thing Severus's mother told him was Azkaban, the wizard prison. Dementors were the guards and they were the most terrifying thing according to his mother.

Once he had turned eight, she decided to introduce Severus to his future subjects. She said he couldn't perform some of it himself yet, like Transfiguration or Charms, but he could learn the theory. For two years, Severus read the many books his mother had procured for him and was enthralled by each and every book. His favorites by far were potions and the dark arts. Potions were his favorites because it did not depend on using magic most of the time and he was able to do it at home. Dark arts, on the other hand, were just so vast and changing and it interested him very much.

Severus stood up and decided to walk away from the river. He should get home before his father found out that he left. His father was very strict about him leaving, he didn't want to risk anyone else finding out that he was magic and trying to steal him. Eileen always gave an aggravated sigh whenever Tobias brought that up. She tried to convince him that if magic was performed in front of a bunch of muggles, the ministry would have to intervene and modify their memory and forget the magic they witnessed. The only reason his father could have magic performed in front of him was due to being married to a witch.

Severus observed his house as he dragged his feet up to it. It was one of the poorer houses in the neighborhood. His father was against making his home look better; he thought it would raise suspicion that a poor factory worker all of a sudden had a nice, clean home. There was a park a little ways up the road, but it was normally abandoned. There weren't a lot of kids in the area. The only other children besides Severus were a sickly boy and two sisters. He had only seen the small, sickly boy once and was probably dead since that one time he caught a glimpse of him was when he was being transported to the hospital.

The sisters, on the other hand, were inseparable. The older girl was always scolding the younger sister and led the way to the park each time. The younger girl had out of place red hair and always followed the older one. Severus had seen them on a few occasions when he was wandering around, escaping his parents arguments. He didn't know their names though. Part of Severus wanted to talk to them since they were the only kids his age, but he always decided against the thought. They were simply muggles and he was a wizard. He had no use for muggles.

Silently, Severus opened the door and crept in. He settled himself on the couch and picked up the book he was currently reading, Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed. As he began a chapter on short hexes, Severus heard his father's less than graceful feet stomp through the kitchen. He heard the clatter of cups as he poured himself coffee. Severus's father then proceeded to stomp into the living room where Severus was and threw on his coat.

He glanced over to his son and asked, "You studying?"

Severus fought back the temptation to make some smart comment and said lowly, "Yes, sir."

"Good," his father muttered. He left the house without saying good bye to his son.

Even though he knew his glares at the door were pointless, he continued to silently fume. It was like that every day, always asking if he was practicing and studying. Severus knew he was some kind of insurance in Tobias's eyes.

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As the year went by, Severus noticed that the sisters were fighting more and more. He would be sitting in a tree reading and he would hear shouting. The older sister's shrill voice would yell at the younger girl to stop doing something. Each time he heard the younger girl let out a tinkle of a laugh, saying that nothing was being hurt. Finally, Severus decided to spy on what they were doing when the older sister yelled "UNATURAL!"

He remembered something his mother had told him as Severus walked up to the park. His mother had told him that there were people with magic born into muggle families. She didn't know why it happened, but she called witches and wizards of muggle parentage muggle borns and mudbloods.

When the park was in view, he hid himself in the bushes. Severus wasn't too keen on the idea of talking to kids, he wasn't very social. What was there to talk about anyways? How poor his clothes were because his father was so dead set on keeping up the poor image so no one would suspect anything? It was his first time seeing the sister so close up. Severus couldn't tell who the older sister was until she heard her shrill voice yell, "Lily!"

The other girl, Lily, just smiled and began to swing higher and higher while her sister jumped off her own swing and began to shout at Lily. The difference between the two was very distinct. Lily had soft, red hair that went back and forth as she swung. Her bright, wide green eyes were very noticeable, even from where Severus was hiding. The older sister had beady eyes that were currently narrowed and scared. Her face was more narrow and skinny than Lily's round heart shaped face.

Lily kept going on higher and higher on her swing until she jumped and Severus silently gasped. He thought for sure she was going to fall and break her leg, but instead she floated loftily to the ground.

"See, Tuney? Everything's fine," soothed Lily. The older sister just gave her a fearful look and whispered something that sounded like, "Strange"

Severus's black eyes glittered with excitement; he couldn't believe that there was a witch his own age that he could talk to! He bit his lip, he was tempted to burst out of the bushes and reveal that Lily was a witch, but didn't. He needed to bide his time.

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Even though their meeting wasn't as good as he had hoped, Severus quickly bonded with Lily. She was a very eager learner and ate up each book Severus brought her. Each day after playing with her sister, whose full name was Petunia, Lily would skip off and meet Severus in one of the trees. Severus deeply enjoyed their discussions about the wizarding world and their subjects.

Once he had convinced his mother, Severus brought along two fairly small cauldrons and decided to apply what Lily had been reading in the potions books. They had to hide in a thick bunch of trees since Lily had found out that Petunia was spying. Severus discovered that Lily had a hard time actually making the potions than reading the theory behind it. For weeks he helped her improve her potion making skills until they were very well.

Severus found that Lily was a good listener and always listened to Severus's gripes about his home life. Soon they considered each other best friends.

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**A/N: **So, this was basically an introduction chapter. Hardly any dialogue, sorry. Review please?


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